Hello, hi! Today marks my first official Wedding Wednesday post! A few weeks ago, I posted about getting engaged and now I’m ready to share a little more about engaged life and the process of planning a wedding. I also want to share that I’ll be writing lots of Wedding Wednesday posts but I won’t be posting one every week. Edwin and I have a longer engagement so I’m afraid I’d run out of things to say if I posted every week. That brings me to today’s post… Wedding Wednesday: Setting a Date and a Location!
Our first step was to pick a date and location for our wedding. Edwin has expressed that he definitely wants to contribute to planning our wedding but he was very excited to let me pick the wedding location of my dreams. For me, location came down to my hometown of Phoenix or a destination somewhere in the South.
Thoughts on a Hometown Wedding:
I considered SO many details when I picked my location and there were so many reasons why I loved the idea of getting married at home. I was able to get a spring 2017 date at my top (and only) location of choice, which felt very right. I kept going back to the idea that I would be able to get ready in the bedroom I grew up in – so special! It would be easy for my Phoenix-based family friends and for Edwin’s Los Angeles-based family, friends, and family friends. It would also be very easy to plan from a distance because Santa Monica isn’t that far away. Phoenix is also absolutely gorgeous in the spring! However, I said it would be easy for my family friends, which is true, but I did not need to consider any of my family or my friends in relation to Phoenix because almost none of them live there.
Thoughts on a Southern Destination Wedding:
It really came down to the fact that I always pictured myself getting married in the South. My dad is from Atlanta and half of my family lives there so I grew up spending a lot of time in Georgia. My grandparents retired and moved to magical Sea Island. I always said I was going to get married on Sea Island. I loved the beach landscapes and the swamp landscapes and, most of all, I loved the dramatic oak trees draped in Spanish moss. For those of you who don’t know, Sea Island isn’t the easiest place in the world to get to so when it came time to pick a venue it just wasn’t very realistic. So, Charleston came into play. My sister went to the College of Charleston and a few years ago my parents bought a house in Charleston so they could split their time between Phoenix and the South. I spend a lot of time in Charleston and always have friends telling me how much they want to visit the city with me! Charleston is easy to get to for my family in Georgia and my other family and friends who live on the East Coast. Also, Edwin loves the city just as much as I do and his family was completely on board with a Charleston wedding!
Our Location and Date:
Without dragging this post on any longer… we’re getting married in Charleston in the fall of 2017! I’m beyond, beyond thrilled and excited! The 6 or so venues I considered were all booked for Saturdays in the spring of 2017 but we were so lucky to get a fall date at my top choice of venues! An engagement was actually called off so, as they say, one couples misfortunate was our gain (is that the expression?!). I had to let go of my vision of a spring wedding but, for me, the location ended up being more important than the time of year. I’m going to keep the venue a secret for now but was too excited to keep our Charleston news in! Also, if you follow me on Snapchat (@ jilliana5590) then you saw me cruising around Charleston and visiting venues two weeks ago. Below are a few snapshots from my wedding scouting weekend and be sure to stay tuned for more upcoming Wedding Wednesday posts about how Edwin and I met and about how to pick a wedding planner!
Top (similar) / Skirt (similar, similar) / Purse (similar, similar) / Sandals (higher heel version)/ Sunglasses
Outfit as seen here… P.S. My romper is on sale!
Dress (available in other colors below) / Sandals (also love these!) / Earrings / Sunglasses (similar)
Photographs: Instagram
Wohooo so excited for the wedding to be in Charleston!
XO,
Sarah
YAY!!! Me too Sarah!! Miss you!!! xx
So exciting!!! I got married in Charleston last summer and though I lived there at the time, it was a destination wedding for most of our friends and family. Many of them had wanted to visit so it was the perfect excuse for them to make the trip! Charleston is such a magical and romantic city (your Charleston pictures were actually how I found you and your blog!) so you’ve definitely made a great decision! I’m happy to help if you have any questions (hotels, vendors, etc.) about Charleston weddings!
xo Heather
Hi Heather, thank you so much!! We’re so excited and thrilled to be tying the knot in Charleston! We have the same mindset as you… that it’s a destination but one people want to go to. Fingers crossed they do! I so appreciate your offer to help and I’ll definitely reach out if I have any questions! Thank you SO much for following along! I want to check out photos of your Charleston wedding! XO, Jillian
as a charleston native, i agree you can’t go wrong! we got married in the fall of ’14 in the heart of the city and i documented our whole process on my website, if you’re interested! if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!
Hi Allisyn! Agreed, can’t go wrong with Charleston! I will definitely check out your wedding… I’m always looking for wedding inspiration, especially Charleston wedding inspiration! Thank you so much for reading! XO, Jillian
http://www.allisynkmorgan.com/wedding 🙂
Yay, thank you!
I didn’t know Phoenix is your hometown! I’m originally from Minnesota, but I’ve lived in Phoenix/Scottsdale for 10+ years. It is beautiful in the spring, but Charleston is on my travel wish list. Congrats on picking a location!!
Hi Erica! Yup, Phoenix born and bread! It’s such a great place to live! You’ve got to check out Charleston though. 🙂 Thank you so much for reading R&R! XO, Jillian
SO exciting! Especially because I am in the same part of the wedding planning process and am also getting married in Charleston in 2017! June to be exact. Cannot wait to see which venue you picked down there! I’ll also be stalking the other vendors you decide to use! I’m currently trying to choose accommodations for everyone and a rehearsal dinner spot!
xo, Shelby
http://www.prettyinthepines.com
Hi Shelby! Ahhh how wonderful, both planning Charleston 2017 weddings! I’m so excited to follow along with your process too! Definitely keep checking in over here as I’m excited to share everything I’m learning and experiencing! Thanks so much for following along with R&R! Good luck picking the rehearsal dinner spot! XO, Jillian
Lovely outfits! Beautiful photos!
http://chicglamstyle.com
Thanks so much Rachel!! Made my day! XO, Jillian